In April, Citizens for Civic Renewal (CCR) embarked on an
ambitious mission: Learning if the city of Cincinnati’s police budget
could be cut without compromising safety. Following months of research
and public meetings, the organization recently posted its findings
online that include expert testimony, research data and citizens'
opinions.

The organization continues to collect public feedback with
with the goal of presenting its final recommendations to City Council
in November. Now the organization will strive to bring together a city
government historically known for its disinterest in public opinion
together with a seemingly apathetic citizen base to discuss the vital
budgetary issues.

On its website (www.citizensforcivicrenewal.org), the
organization offers ideas on how to cut spending by focusing on
so-called “smart policing.” It involves devising evidence-based,
data-driven law enforcement tactics and strategies that are effective
and economical. Recommendations include fewer supervisors, enhanced
technology and more citizen involvement. Along with myriad cost-cutting
ideas, the site reports that citizens consume too much “free” police
services for incidents that often don’t require a highly skilled and
trained officer.

City officials currently are grappling with how to avoid a
$33 million deficit next year. City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. has
proposed laying off 44 police officers to help cut costs, but City
Council remains sharply divided. In fact, layoffs have become a key
issue in this fall's council elections.

The Police and Fire departments constitute 69 percent of
the city's General Fund Budget. Although Cincinnati lost 8 percent of
its population from 1990 to 2010, it has increased its police force by
21 percent during the same period. As a result, Cincinnati ranks at or
near the top on a list of police officers per 100,000 residents in
similarly sized cities.

But mounting national data indicates that putting more
officers on the street and having quicker response time do little to
improve safety or solve crimes — both practices simply waste money. For
comparison, CCR's website allows users to see how Cincinnati stacks up
against other nearby cities in terms of policing and crime rates.
Besides featuring expert testimony via video clips, the interactive site
allows users to add their own input.

Jeffrey Stec, CCR's executive director, says the
organization’s goal isn't to cut police with reckless abandon but
instead to help them more efficiently utilize resources and personnel.

During the meeting, Craig proposed creating a “citizens
police advisory board” that would work with the chief to help set
departmental policy, Stec says. CCR’s role would be to provide outreach
from the board to the community.

Such a board should represent all of Cincinnati’s diverse
communities, he adds, and members of the police department must be
included in the advisory process to also feel like co-creators of the
community.

“The basic challenge (is) how do we get people involved in
not just setting policy at the board level, but refining policy at the
neighborhood level and implementing or co-creating safety at the
block-by-block level,” Stec says. “You can lose that implementation
piece, especially getting people to do Citizens on Patrol or do Block
Watches or come to Community Council meetings. Whatever the methods are,
people still have to show up and both the police and the citizens need
to feel the other side is listening.”

Since posting results on the website, Stec says he’s a bit
discouraged by the response. While there's been more than 400 hits, the
average visitor spent less than four minutes, which is hardly enough
time to critically view all the information, he says.

Stec believes part of problem begins with disconnect, a
case of citizens having little interest in government affairs. To more
clearly define the challenge, he uses a Venn-style diagram with circles
of interest for both government and citizens. He explains when comparing
the two, the area where the government and citizens' interest
intersects is an extremely small sliver. The challenge is with this very
small sliver of shared interest, how do you motivate both sides to
participate or engage the other party in discussion, Stec says.

“The only way to get people motivated is through
relationships and you can’t build a lot of relationships if there’s only
a few people seeking them out,” he says. “And we have tight budgets, so
it means the city doesn’t want to pay for outreach, and the reason they
don’t want outreach is because they believe everybody’s already
apathetic.”

But while some people believe the problem stems from
indifference, others say it's due to feelings of alienation from their
local government.

Peter Block, a Mount Adams resident who is an author and
expert on organizational development, blames disengagement as the
culprit. People feel great passion for things that directly affect them,
such as their children, their health, their safety and their
environment, Block says.

As an example, he notes that on any given night in a
low-income neighborhood there are people are out on the streets, they
know their neighbors and there’s a strong social fabric. The system
breaks down when citizens perceive themselves as customers of City
Council and not creators of the community. This is called “a learned
disconnect,” he says.

To engage citizens, Block advises City Council members to
do more than simply voice their opinions while campaigning or hold
contrived public hearings where citizens get two minutes at the
microphone. Instead, council should invite citizens to engage in
detailed discussions and develop a true partnership, a task that
requires members to participate in small community meetings. Citizens
also need to take an active role in getting council’s attention, he
adds.

“We as citizens need to make a move for (council) to
follow us,” Block says. “We invite them to come to our meetings, but
tell them don’t speak, just sit in on one of the small groups and
listen, they’ll get it after awhile.”

City Councilwoman Amy Murray, a Republican, says she
believes in CCR’s mission and wants to engage the group in a discussion
involving the police budget and other issues. Echoing the sentiment of
council's current conservative majority, Murray explains she’s not
against cutting the police budget, but doesn't want to reduce the number
of officers on the street.

As the former president of a neighborhood council, Murray
says she understands the importance of civic engagement, adding she is
planning a new program where she will hold small community meetings in
neighborhood venues with no pre-planned agenda, just an opportunity to
listen.

“What’s amazing to me is every community council is so
different, and that’s what I love about them,” Murray says. “You have so
many good leaders — and it’s really free volunteer work for the city —
these people are doing what they think is best for their neighborhoods,
to grow their neighborhoods and keep them strong.”